Snow Daze
by Tsuki Silverbane
Summary: Sophie Merrigold should've known better than to trust Megan. She knew going to that party was a bad idea, but when the most popular kid in school gives you an invite to her Halloween bash, you don't exactly say no. Now she's trapped in the old home of Vlad Masters after a prank went wrong. Could be worse, right? So what happens when she hits a switch she shouldn't have? Danny P.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone. Here's my first Danny Phantom Fanfic. Hope you like it.**

**Warning: Mild cursing, OC's and possible OOC's. Don't like, don't read. **

**I do not own Danny Phantom or any of it's characters.**

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Sophie Merrigold could barely believe her eyes. It was him, in the flesh- er, ectoplasm? Like it mattered. It was _the_ Danny Phantom. The half-ghost hero of Amity Park- no, the _world_!

And he was currently laying on his back beneath the girl, who was flush against him.

How'd that happen, again? Oh right, she was falling.

Undergrowth had attacked the city again, using his roots to trash the new movie theater they'd build on clear-cut land. She was sitting on one of the benches outside it when the screaming started, sketch book in hand. Sophie had looked up just in time to see a root burst up from the ground sending her bench in the air along with her. She was too surprised to scream, green eyes wide with terror. The pages of her sketch book went flying above her. Strange as it was, her only thought was she wouldn't be able to get them back.

All of a sudden, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

"You know, there are better ways to get some air," a boy's voice said in her ear.

But before Sophie had the chance to wrap her mind around what happened, a vine lashed out at the two floating in the air. Her vision blurred as her savior spun around, streaks of green mixed with black and white flashing in front of her. Once again, Sophie found herself flying through the air, but this time an arm was wrapped over her head, protectively. She heard a heartbeat hammering in his chest. The two of them came crashing down into the dirt.

Sophie groaned and held her head as she tried to get up. Then came face to face with Danny. They soon locked eyes, and Sophie became very aware of their positions. Her pale skin became heated very quickly, but the ghost-boy hardly seemed phased by it.

"Some ride, huh?" he chuckled. "You're safe, though."

The girl scrambled to her feet. She let her long raven hair fall into her face, hiding her like it always did. She wasn't very attractive, or at least that what pretty, popular Megan always made a point of telling her everyday at St. Mary's High. What with her much too pale skin, thin lips, and big green eyes, she could probably pass as a ghost herself. She couldn't even have the luxury of being labeled as Goth. She wasn't moody enough and her wardrobe was much too conservative for that.

Danny stood up and dusted himself off. He gave her a small smile. "You should probably get out of here. Not exactly safe at the moment." With that, the white haired teen flew off to fight the giant ghost plant.

Sophie nervously combed a hand through her hair, careful to keep it covering her still red face. He was... Definitely something, that was for sure. But Sophie knew better. It had been only half a year since the Disasteroid crisis had been averted, and Danny Fenton, son of local ghost catchers, Jack and Maddie Fenton had been revealed as Danny Phantom. And everyone in Amity Park knew of his relationship with one Sam Manson. The news even reached St. Mary's, the private school located on the other side of town from Casper High.

What chance did a nobody like her have with him?

With a sigh, Sophie located what was left of her sketch book. One thing was for sure. Tonight, she'd be drawing glowing green eyes.

~DP~

"So are you coming or not?"

Sophie blinked at the invitation being waved in her face. Megan Carroway glared down at the girl, her two friends studying their nails behind her.

"Wh-what?" Sophie said, intelligently. She blinked at the blonde, tan-skinned beauty queen. No, seriously, she was a real beauty queen. Megan was the three time winner of the Miss Amity Park Beauty pageant. Some claimed she cheated, but who could prove it? Or more so, who'd be willing to go against the daughter of the biggest lawyer shark Amity Park's ever seen? Daddy's little girl always got whatever she wanted, especially when it came to her looks. Even now, in her school uniform, she looked dazzling.

Megan rolled her blue eyes. "I'm inviting you to my Halloween Party, duh! You have a hearing problem or something?"

Sophie studied the piece of paper. True to the girl's claim, it was an invitation. Done up in silver print and decorated with bats and black spiderwebs.

"C-can I ask why?" Sophie said. Megan ran her manicured fingers through her bob with as much flourish as she could muster.

"Do I need a reason?" she huffed.

"You and I aren't exactly friends," murmured Sophie.

"Fine. Consider this my public service for the day," Megan smiled. "I'm simply being charitable to the less fortunate of our great school." Sophie cringed. Nothing about this seemed right. After a moment of silence, Megan lost her smile, turning it into a scowl.

"Look, my mom's making me invite the entire school, and that, unfortunately, includes you. So just take the damn thing so I can be on my way?"

Sophie reluctantly took the invitation and mumbled a soft thanks. The blonde just turned up her nose and left, her friends strutting close behind her. Sophie sighed, tucking the paper in her messenger bag. Just then a pair of hands slammed onto her shoulders.

"Yo!" a girl screamed in her ear, making Sophie jump with an audible squeak. She dropped her bag on the floor, spilling its contents on the marble floor. Laughter could be heard from behind her.

"Willow, that wasn't funny!" Sophie hissed. She spun to look at the flame haired girl she considered a friend. The short and scrawny girl couldn't help but laugh at her.

"Oh, lighten up, Soph," Willow Jones said between chuckles. "It wasn't that bad."

"You always have to sneak up on me, don't you?" the raven-haired grumbled.

"Not my fault you're easy to scare." Sophie huffed and bent down to collect her things. Willow helped her, picking up the invitation she'd gotten.

"So, you gonna go?" she asked, standing up. Sophie snatched the paper away from her, stuffing it back in her bag.

"Don't see why I should."

"Oh, come _on_, Soph! Megan's parties are the biggest events in St. Mary's! Anyone who's anyone gets an invitation."

"So why'd she invite the nobody?" Sophie muttered. Willow rolled her eyes.

"Anyone ever tell you you're way too melodramatic?"

"You do. Every day."

"Well, maybe you should listen to me? You could at least pretend to be excited about it. This is big! An event like this could really boost your popularity, here!"

"Or be the biggest laughing stalk since the Box Ghost. Besides, it's a costume party. It's in two days, and I have nothing to wear."

Willow grinned, her brown eyes shining. "Leave that to me. Trust me, Soph, by the time I'm done with you, everyone will know the name Sophia Merrigold."

Sophie shuddered. She knew that look. It meant Willow was gonna get exactly what she wanted. Not only was Sophie going to that party, she was going to make a scene.

'Maybe she'll let me put a sheet over my head and go as a ghost?' Sophie thought.

But the way Willow was humming to herself, the raven-head knew she'd never be that lucky.

~DP~

Danny frowned at the man in front of him. He hadn't made it two steps out of his house before the black-clad butler- Gregory, was it?- cut him off from his route to school.

"I'm not sure I understand what's going on here," Danny said. He took the paper offered to him as the older man folded his hands.

"Miss Megan has instructed me to give you a personal invitation to her annual Halloween Midnight Bash," Gregory stated.

"Who?" Danny frowned. The butler looked slightly exhausted.

"Miss Megan Carroway, sir. She's a big fan of yours."

"Uh, thanks, but-"

"Miss Megan has also extended her invitation to your friends as well. Please think it over." With that, the butler bowed and returned to the black Limousin he came in. Danny watched him drive away before looking over the invitation he'd received.

"Who was that?" Jazz said from behind him.

"Not sure," Danny frowned. But he gave me this." He showed her the invitation. Jazz frowned, too.

"Carroway. Why does that sound familiar?"

Danny shook his head and made his way towards his school. He may have had no clue who this Megan was, but he knew someone who might.

~DP~

"No way! _The_ Megan Carroway gave you an invitation to her Halloween party?!" Tucker said excitedly. He was so loud, the cafeteria stopped all movement to stare at him. He sat back down and ducked his head. "Please tell me we're going."

"I don't know, Tuck," Danny shrugged. "I mean, I don't even know this girl."

"Who doesn't?!" the tech-geek said. "Her dad's one of the most successful prosecutors in Amity Park. Not to mention she's absolutely stunning to look at."

Danny sent a look to his girlfriend sitting beside him. Sam sat in her usual goth garb, poking at her salad.

"Sounds like a rich snob, if you ask me," she said in her usual dark tone. "She probably just wanted Danny _Phantom_ to make an appearance. Talk about a publicity stunt."

"But we're invited to!" Tucker whined. "Please say we can go, Danny! Please, please, _please!_" He grabbed onto his best friend's shirt as he begged. Sam sighed and pried him off of her boyfriend.

"Tucker, it's a bad idea, no matter how you look at it."

"I don't know, Sam. It could be fun," Danny said, studying the invitation. The goth glared at him, making him cringe. He laughed nervously. "Oh, come on, Sam. What's the harm? We could just swing by, grab some food and leave before anything major happens."

Sam folded her arms. "Bad idea," she huffed out. Danny smiled and put his arm around her. He gave her a small kiss on her cheek.

"It's a costume party," he whispered in her ear. The girl fumed for a moment before sighing.

"When is it?"

Danny smiled. "Tomorrow night." Sam narrowed her eyes at him.

"I pick what we're wearing."

~DP~

"Uh, Willow? Don't you think this is a bit... much?"

Sophie stared at her reflection. Her hair was pulled back in black ribbons and cascaded down her back. Willow had put her in a Gothic Lolita style white shirt with a black corset. Black ribbons and white lace wrapped up her arms and sides. A white choker with a crystal snowflake dangling from it graced her neck. She wore black gloves with white bands on her wrists. She wore white leggings under a shear, shimmering white skirt that allowed everyone to see her black thigh high boots. It was over the top, to say the least.

"Oh come on, you look great!" Willow said. She wore a tight fitting tango dress done up in red and gold. Her flaming red hair was held back by a gold band.

"What exactly are we suppose to be, again?" Sophie asked nervously.

"We're going as Fire and Ice," Willow said in a matter-of-fact tone. She came to stand beside her friend and faced the mirror. "See, I'm the fire princess, and your the ice queen."

Sophie grimaced. "I'm hardly an ice queen, Willow."

"Yeah well, dressing you as a rain cloud would've made you more depressing than you already are. So suck it up and deal with it."

The raven-haired girl sighed. She supposed it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Her hair still hid her face well enough and Willow had only put a bit of shimmer on her eyes. She hoped that would be enough to keep her from being noticed.

Willow fixed her redder than red lipstick before turning to the girl. "You ready?" she grinned.

"No," Sophie sighed.

"Well, too bad, 'cause we're going!" she laughed. Willow grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the door.

~DP~

There was a crowd, that's for sure. Danny, Tucker, and Sam had showed up to the party's location. Danny and Sam wore matching vampire costumes, complete with red capes and bloody fangs. Tucker, however, thought it was a good idea to dress up as what looked like a cross between the Tin Man and a vending machine.

"For the last time, Sam, I'm Technus!" the tech brain hollered, once again attracting attention. Danny face-palmed.

"You look like an over-sized remote control," Sam smirked.

"There's a difference?"

A group of kids passed them, each one dressed as a certain ghostly hero.

"The originality at this party is impressive," Sam said sarcastically.

"Says the girl who wanted us to dress as creatures of the night, blah!" Danny said in his best fake Romanian voice. Sam elbowed him in the stomach, making him chuckle.

"So where's our gracious host?" the goth girl said, scanning the crowd.

"Good question," Danny said. The party was already in full swing, but there was no sign of Megan Carroway.

"She's probably just being fashionably late," Tucker said, waving them off.

"Seems pretty rude if you ask me," Sam muttered.

"Ooo, a buffet table!" With that, Tucker Foley was gone. Danny and Sam rolled their eyes. So predictable.

~DP~

"You sure this is the right place?" Sophie asked. She and Willow stood in front of an old abandoned mansion. The windows were cracked and boarded up, and the paint was faded. Willow frowned at the scene.

"It's the address on the invitation," she said, scratching her head. She looked at the paper one more time. Sophie walked around building in slight wonder. It was probably quite grand in it's day, and even now, it still had an eerie beauty about it.

'I'd be nice to draw it,' she thought, wishing she'd brought her sketch book with her. Her eyes fell on the mailbox and she froze. The sign was faded and some letters were missing, but it was still clear.

_MASTERS._

This was the home of Amity Park's former mayor, Vlad Masters, or more infamously known as, Vlad Plasmius.

"Willow, we should probably..." Sophie started, but cut herself off. She'd backtracked to where she'd left her friend but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Willow?" Sophie said in a nervous voice. The night sounds was her only reply. "Willow, this isn't funny!"

Something cracked behind the girl making her jump. Out of the darkness, a dark figure stepped toward her. It was much to big for any normal human, with slouched shoulders and much too long limbs.

"W-Willow?" she said, backing away. Three more figures joined the first, making Sophie back onto the Something shined in the figure's hand. Sophie's eyes widened as it raised a long curved blade at her. She screamed.

~DP~

"Did you guys hear that?" Danny said with a frown.

"You mean the sound of Tuck shoveling down three- no wait, make that five pumpkin tarts at once?" Sam deadpanned.

"No, it sounded like a scream."

"Uhmg phimk ur-"

"Tuck, please swallow before you speak," Sam said. The tech teen forced down his meal and gasped.

"I think you're hearing things, man," Tucker said.

"Or it could be a gag for the party," Sam added.

"Yeah, maybe they're just trying to scare us or something!" Tuck nodded.

But Danny wasn't convinced. He untied his cape and handed it to Sam.

"I'm gonna check it out. Back in a flash." The teen ran out of the party's area and into the woods. Out of habit, he made sure no one was around before he changed.

"Okay then. I'm Going Ghost!"

~DP~

Sophie ran through the mansion as fast as she could. She tripped and slammed into the floor with a cry. It was all she could do to force herself back to her feet. She had to keep moving. Those... things could've still been after her for all she knew. It was luck that the door was rotten. She broke through it with very little resistance. Unfortunately, her skirt was ruined. It had been caught on the door frame and ripped off of her. Sophie was glad to be rid of it, but she'd have to repay Willow for it later.

A dark mass sank to the pit of her stomach. What if those creatures had gotten Willow? Was... was she even alive?

Sophie shook the thought away. She couldn't think like that. Willow could take care of herself. She wasn't a scaredy-cat like Sophie was.

"S-she's probably l-looking for me," she whispered to herself. But it didn't relieve her uneasiness.

A chill ran through her, snapping her out of her daze. She hugged herself and kept moving. Now that she was inside, the mansion didn't look as nice anymore. She'd jump every few moments at a creak or the shuffling of a stray animal. It didn't help that she couldn't see anything, either.

She ran her hand against a wall to keep herself from falling. After a moment, the girl made a turn into some sort of room. Her hand ran over something odd and she took a moment to trace it.

'A light switch?' she thought, but it felt weird for one. It was a button, not a switch. But what did she care? She was in a strange place, in the dark, and scared out of her wits. 'Maybe there's still electricity in this place?' she thought before pressing the switch.

The next thing she knew, she was screaming. Her body felt like it was on fire, and burning from the inside out. Light flared in her eyes, blinding her.

'I'm dying,' she thought, tears rolling down her face. Suddenly and explosion knocked her backwards. Sophie curled in on herself and shook. She tried to slow her breath and stay awake. If she could just stand up... but her body wouldn't move. The last thing she saw was a blurry dark figure stepping out of the wall before she passed out.

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**So what do you think? Hope you like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, the first chapter did better than I thought it would. I probably should wait a while longer before posting this, but I've been too excited to write this story to wait. Don't be afraid to tell me what you think. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of it's characters. Only the concept and OC's featured here are mine.**

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Danny soared through the air, green eyes scanning the area.

"Okay, that scream came from around here somewhere," he muttered to himself. "But where?"

The sound of giggling caught his attention. Frowning, he landed among the trees to get a closer look. Four figures in black cloaks huddled together.

"My god, did you see her face?!" one nearly shrieked between giggles.

"Yeah, she was so freaked," another one chimed in. "'Willow? Willow, you there?' Priceless. Great idea, Megan."

The tallest one pulled down her hood, revealing a head of short blonde hair. "Of course it was," she chuckled. "It was mine, after all." Danny suppressed a groan. Just his luck. He got worried over a stupid prank.

"You think we should go in after her?" the fourth girl said. Megan snorted.

"What's wrong, Willow? You're not worried about that freak, are you?"

The shortest of the bunch seemed to be glaring at her. "You've had your fun, alright? Let's just get her out of there before she gets in trouble." The girl kicked off the stilts she was wearing and started towards the building. However, she stopped when she realized no one was following her. Willow crossed her arms and looked at the others. "Well?"

"I'm not going in there!" one of the girls shrieked.

"What, you scared?" Willow sneered.

"Aren't you? This is Vlad _Plasmius's _house!"

The girl just rolled her eyes. "So? That guy's lost in space, remember? Besides, it's just an old house."

Willow took a step toward the building, but before she could enter, someone grabbed her arm.

"That's probably not a good idea," Danny said, pulling her back. A chorus of gasps sounded around him, making him blink and turn to the source.

"Omigod! You're Danny Phantom!" Megan said.

"Yeah, nice to-" Danny said with half a smile, but he was quickly cut off when the blonde got a little to up close and personal. As in half an inch from his face close.

"I can't believe it!" Megan squealed. "You actually came to my party! This is so great! I'm like your biggest fan!"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks for the invite?" Danny found himself backed into the wall by the overexcited teen. Beside him, Willow got out of his grip and folded her arms.

"What're you doing here, then?" she said, none to kindly. "The party's on the next block."

"I could be asking you the same thing," Danny said. He gently moved Megan out of his way. The teen then gestured to the rundown building. "Not sure what you've heard, but this block doesn't exactly cater to trick-or-treaters."

"W-we were just having a little fun, right girls?" Megan said.

"Like scaring helpless kids?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. Instantly, the girls all looked ashamed.

"No, not kids. It was just Sophie," Willow murmured, but she glanced at her feet. "She easy to scare, and... You know. 'Tis the season."

The ghost boy sighed. "And let me guess, what better place to scare some one-"

"Than the former home of a ghost!" Megan finished. "Or, well, half a ghost."

'Hopefully that doesn't happen at my house,' Danny thought to himself. He sighed before speaking out loud. "Okay, guys. I'm all for a good scare. Hello, I'm a ghost. But this isn't a playground. Someone could get seriously-"

Just then, a scream rang out from the mansion. Danny turned toward the building ready to rush into action.

"Sophie!"

*Bang*

The white-haired teen slammed face-first into the side of the mansion as Willow pushed passed him, running in to find her friend. Danny held his now throbbing nose.

"Hurt... Wait! Hold on a minute!" he called out, following the girl. It didn't take him long to catch up with her. Willow stumbled through the dark house, frantically. She tripped over a loose floor board and landed on her hands and knees. Danny quickly helped her to her feet.

"Sophie, please come out!" Willow yelled. "It was just a joke!" She was about to run off again, but stopped when the ghost teen put a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down," he said. "We won't find her if we get lost ourselves." Raising a palm, Danny used his ghost ray to light the room they were in. If the outside of the mansion was bad, the interior was much, much worse. The once pristine wallpaper was now peeling off the walls. Chunks of wood were missing from the walls and floor, leaving gaping holes that revealed the insulation and insects. Willow dusted off her dress, causing a dust cloud to come up and make both teens cough.

"Well this place's seen better days," she muttered.

"Who is it we're looking for, again?" Danny asked.

Willow sent him a glare that made him gulp. "_I'm_ looking for my friend, Sophie. I don't need your help."

"I'm not saying you do," he said, quickly. "But if we're both looking, she'll be found faster, right? Besides, I got the only light."

Willow grumbled but didn't say anything else to Danny. Instead, the girl tried calling out her friend's name a few more times as she continued on more carefully. Danny followed close behind, lighting the way. He, too, began calling the girl's name, but there was no answer.

Suddenly, Willow saw movement out of the corner of her eye. "Sophie?!" she said, running to the source. They came across what appeared to be a metallic room, wires and circuits displayed all across the walls. Danny frowned. There was something familiar about it, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

"Hey, ghost boy. Mind shining that light a little closer?" Willow said as she entered the room. Danny did just that, stepping closer to the doorway. Willow scanned the area before stopping and staring at the ground. Slowly, she bent down and picked up a black ribbon.

"She was wearing this," Willow whispered. "She has to be around here somewhere." The girl began to stand up, her hand sliding up the wall. Just then, Danny grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the room.

"Hey! What's the big idea!" Willow glared at him, but sombered when she caught his expression. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think your friend's here anymore," Danny said. His eyes narrowed at the room, now realizing what it was.

"And why is that?" she all but growled.

"Because this," Danny said, gesturing to the door. "Isn't a room. It's a portal. More specifically, it's a portal to the Ghost Zone."

~DP~

The cold was what woke Sophie up. Her skin felt like it was on ice and her throat burned from the chill. She moaned as her head throbbed. She tried to raise a hand to relieve the pressure, but it wouldn't budge. Her eyes shot open. She couldn't move, but not because she was paralyzed. Sophie was tied down to an examination table. The girl struggled against the metal restraints, her hair tossing in the process. Then, Sophie stopped moving. Because instead of seeing her usual black strands of hair, the locks were pure white.

Eyes wide, Sophie took a good look at herself. She was still in the Halloween costume Willow gave her, but it didn't look the same. The colors were all reversed. Her skirt was all but gone, leaving just a slim white belt around her waist.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Sophie cried out. She began to shake, but then Sophie noticed something else.

The entire table she was laying on was covered in a sheet of ice.

"Ah, glad to see your awake," a dark voice said from across the room. Sophie turned her head to the source. Walking toward her, dressed in all white with a cape flowing behind him, was none other than Vlad Plasmius. He grinned down at her, fangs showing.

"You were quite nosy to be poking around my home, Sophia," he said with a chuckle.

"H-how do you know my name. Wh-where am I?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"Oh this?" Plasmius said, gesturing to the room. "Just a makeshift lab I've created in my spare time. As I'm sure you saw, my old one is no longer operational." The man began circling the table, staring down at the frightened girl. "Now, as to my knowledge of your name, it certainly wasn't hard to discern from the cries your friends were giving out while looking for you."

"My friends?"

"Oh, I didn't get a good look at them, I'm afraid. But I'd never forget the voice of that insufferable Danny Phantom," Plasmius growled. Then his face smoothed out as he began to chuckle. "But that's not important right now, Sophia. What is important, is what I'm going to do about you." As he spoke, the evil ghost gently grabbed a lock of Sophie's hair and ran it through his fingers.

Sophie felt her heart hammer in her chest. This was a dream, it had to be. There was no way the most wanted man on Earth was here, toying with her like a cat with a trapped mouse. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to wake herself.

Suddenly, Plasmius jumped back with an audible "gah!". Sophie opened her eyes just in time to see a layer of ice creep up the man's legs. She stared on in slight wonder as he fired a ghost ray at it, melting it away.

"Seems as though your powers are rather strong, my dear," he said with obvious distaste. He shook his cape free of leftover ice crystals.

"P-powers? What powers? I don't-"

"Oh, hush, Sophia. You don't honestly think this is my doing, do you?" He walked over to a nearby computer screen and began typing away. "It's obvious when you began meddling with my portal, the resulting explosion induced the same circumstances that young Daniel and I have both gone through."

All Sophie could do was stare at the man's back. He couldn't be right, could he? It was just too unreal.

"I have to be dreaming," she whispered to herself.

"Dreaming?" Plasmius asked with a laugh. "Oh no, Sophia. I'm afraid this is all very real."

"So then I'm..."

"Half-ghost, yes. But don't worry, my dear. It's hardly as bad as it seems."

A blue-clad hologram formed beside Sophie. It smiled at it's creator and spoke with a sickening-sweet tone.

"The Ectoranium serum, Ecto-cide, is ready for use, oh wonderfully evil one," the hologram spoke.

"Excellent!" Plasmius grinned. With one hit of a button, a vile of dark green liquid was produced from the computer desk. The ghost grabbed it as well as a circular band of metal. Using a syringe, Plasmius filled the object with the serum before returning to Sophie's side. He grinned at her.

"You are familiar with the properties of Ectoranium, I'm sure," he purred.

Sophie gave a small nod. "I-it's a natural ghost repellent. It's what the Disasteroid was made of." She stared at the syringe in his hand.

"That's right, Sophia. And what I have here in my hand is a very concentrated form of it, liquidized, of course. I imagine if I were to administer even a small dose into your blood stream, it would have... lethal consequences, what with your condition and all."

The girl's breath hitched. A single tear rolled down her face as Plasmius lifted her sleeve up to her shoulder. He chuckled at her.

"Do relax, my child. As long as you behave yourself, I'll have no reason to hurt you." As he spoke, the older ghost fastened the metal band onto her bicep. It snapped shut with a click, and Sophie cried out in pain. The band pierced into her skin, keeping it tightly in place. Plasmius held up a remote switch, red eyes narrowing on the girl.

"I've filled this band with the Ecto-cide. Try even once to disobey me, and we'll see how effective my creation is on newly-formed half-ghosts."

More tears came. Sophie didn't make a sound as the villain cupped her face, tenderly. His grin grew wider as glowing, ice-blue eyes stared at him in fear.

"Do we understand each other, Sophia?" he asked her, his voice but a whisper. The man gently wiped a tear from her cheek as her lips trembled.

"W-what d-do you want from me?" she asked softly.

"That's very simple, my dear girl. I want you to kill Danny Phantom."

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**So how many of you were expecting that? Come on, don't be shy... Well anyway, look forward to the next chapter soon. Bye-bye for now!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. I'm back with another installment. I'm really liking where this story's heading so far, and it seems like you guys agree. I don't quite feel this chapter has the impact the first two had, but I do feel it was necessary. Hopefully, it has the same quality you've all come to expect from me. As always, I look forward to your reviews. And without further ado, here's chapter three!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or it's characters. Only the OC's and concept is of my own design.**

* * *

"Danny, it's been almost two months, already! Don't you think if she was in the Ghost Zone, you would've found her by now?" Sam said as she and her friends made their way to the lab. Danny set his bag on a table and began packing for his now daily trip to the Ghost Zone.

"I can't stop trying, Sam," he said. "Willow still hasn't seen heads or tails of that girl. I promised her I'd find her. And the only possible place I can think of her to be is the Ghost Zone."

"You don't know that! You could organize a search party, _here_, in the Human World!" the goth girl said.

"Willow and I've already tried that." Any effort from the two of them to put in a town-wide search for Sophie was, for lack of a better word, squashed. The police wouldn't get involved because she was an orphan. The orphanage she lived at wouldn't file a missing persons report. They just assumed she ran away, like so many others. And almost no one in the community had any clue who the girl was, let alone what she looked like.

'She's more of a ghost than I am,' Danny thought to himself.

"Dude, how can you even be sure this girl exists?" Tucker chimed in. "What if that Willow girl just made her up?"

"Yeah, Danny. She hasn't even shown you a picture or anything!"

"Sophie... Doesn't like her picture taken, I guess," the teen hero said, rubbing the back of his neck. "And besides, it's been two months, like you said. That's a pretty long time to keep a joke running."

"Danny..." But the goth knew there was no talking him out of it. Danny sometimes had a nasty stubborn streak. She liked that about him, but right now it was infuriating. Why couldn't he see what he was doing to himself? He barely ate anymore, and if the bags under his eyes were any indication, he was more than tired. It was clear Danny was running himself ragged.

And all for some girl none of them even knew.

"I'm going, Sam," the half-ghost hero said, swinging the bag onto his back. He handed her and Tucker a pair of Fenton Phones. "Just call me if-"

"FENTON!"

The three of them turned to the door of the lab as the fiery Willow Jones rushed through it. She pushed Sam and Tucker out of her way as she approached Danny. Tucker wheeled his arms to try and keep his balance while Sam slammed into a metal wall. Both glared at the girl.

"Have you found her, yet?!" Willow yelled at the teen.

Danny frowned. "How'd you get in my house? Didn't we lock the door?" He looked to his friends, but Sam and Tucker just shrugged at the teen. Willow huffed at him.

"Not important! Have you found her or not?!"

"Calm down, Willow. I haven't even gone out yet, today."

"Well, what're we waiting for?! Let's go already!" The girl made her way to the rebuilt Fenton Portal, but Danny caught her by the collar of her uniform.

"_We_ are not going anywhere," he said sternly. "I'm going in the Ghost Zone, alone."

"The hell you are!" Sam snapped at him.

"Sam, please. I don't want to fight right now." He gently pushed Willow into his girlfriend's arms. "I need you guys to stay here and update me if anything happens."

"She's my friend, Fenton, not yours!" Willow snapped. Danny sighed.

"And I promise to get her back for you. Just trust me, alright?"

"But I-" The girl started but Danny cut her off by raising his hand.

"It's too dangerous. I'll have a hard enough time worrying about finding Sophie. And you know what happened last time I took you with me to the Ghost Zone." It was disastrous, to say the least. "I can't worry about you, too." He locked eyes with Sam. "Either of you."

Willow fumed while the goth girl glared at him. Danny just sighed. 'You can't win 'em all,' he thought to himself. The teen gave a small wave as he headed towards the portal.

"Wish me luck, guys."

"Good luck, dude," Tucker said, earning him two sets of glares from the females beside him. The tech-genius cringed. Danny chuckled before transforming and flying off into the Ghost Zone. After a moment of silence, Willow cleared her throat.

"Please tell me we're taking the Specter Speeder," she said, looking up at Sam.

"Oh, you know we are."

~DP~

"I assume you remember your orders?"

"Yessir," Sophie mumbled. She stared at the swirling portal in front of her. Her hand unconsciously clamped onto the brace on her left arm, reminding her of what she was about to do. Behind her, Plasmius laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Young Daniel will be looking for you in the Ghost Zone, my dear. So all you have to do is let him find you. And once he does..."

"I get close to him... Gain his trust."

The evil ghost grinned at her. "And once you have it?"

"... I-I isolate him from his friends and family, then I... I..."

Plasmius grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Then you take care of him. Once and for all."

"...Yessir..."

Once he let go of her, Sophie looked at the ground, letting her raven-colored hair cover her like a curtain. She felt Plasmius place a hand on her back as he guided her to the portal's entrance. The girl felt empty inside. Like someone had taken a spoon and hollowed her out. She didn't want to be a killer. She didn't want any of this. But as she came face to face with the Ghost Zone, a cold truth settled through her.

One of them was going to die. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

~DP~

Danny checked the map again, then looked around him. Nothing looked familiar.

"We're lost, again, aren't we?" Willow called out, making the ghost teen tweak.

"We're not lost! We just... Got turned around somewhere," he said, scratching his head. Willow huffed at him.

"I told you we should've turned right at that freaking genie's house!"

Danny flew up to his friends... and um, Willow... as they sat in the SS2, as his dad called it. The rebuilt Specter Speeder looked much like the original, but with Tucker's upgrades, the vehicle was now jet black and much sleeker than before. The techno-teen also added a better weapons system and an on-board GPS, which seemed to be out for some reason. And had _nothing_ to do with Sam slamming into it when Willow hit the brakes to avoid a passing Johnny 13. Not in the slightest.

But she did apologize. Twice.

"What are you guys doing here, anyway? I thought I told you to stay behind," the white-haired teen asked, crossing his arms.

"You can't expect us to sit on the sidelines every time, Danny," Sam said. "We're a team, remember?"

"Beside, she's-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Danny said, cutting Willow off. "She's your friend. I get it. Just... stay in the Specter Speeder, okay? This place isn't safe."

A blast-ray cut between Danny and the others, causing them to veer backwards. The ghost teen's hands lit up as he spun to face the attacker.

"So very right, ghost child," came a dark voice. A familiar ghost in metallic armor grinned down at them, a ray-gun mounted on his arm. Danny mentally cursed.

"Skulker. Been wondering when you'd show up." He fired at the hunter, but missed as the ghost dodged.

"But of course!" Skulker laughed. "I couldn't pass up the chance to catch my favorite prey as he wandered in my back yard."

"Sorry to rain on your parade, Skulker, but I don't have time to play with you," the teen said, firing two energy spheres at the ghost. Skulker deflected them with an energy shield, grinning wildly.

"What makes you think you can escape me this time, ghost child?" he bellowed. More weapons sprang from the ghost's armor, each one aimed at Danny. The teen turned to his friends.

"Any chance of you guys getting out of here right about now?" he asked.

Sam shook her head. "Not a chance."

Danny smirked at her. "Okay then. Let's can this creep!"

"Seriously?" Willow deadpanned. "That was lame."

The ghost teen face-palmed before rushing at Skulker. He managed to catch the ghost off guard, slamming him into a nearby collection of rocks. Skulker kicked Danny off of him, then fired two rays into the teen's chest, sending him flying. He grinned.

"Is that all you got, whelp?" he chuckled, only to be blasted from behind.

"Bull's eye," Tucker grinned. His hands were on the controls as a modified ecto-gun retracted back into the vehicle. Skulker growled and fired at the SS2. Without thinking, Sam took the controls and veered right, narrowly avoiding the attack. The motion caused Willow to tumble to the floor.

"Drat!" Skulker shouted. He prepared another beam and set the ship in his cross-hairs. "This one won't miss!"

And he wouldn't have, if Danny hadn't grabbed his legs and thrown him through the air. The teen also sent another blast of ecto-energy into Skulker's chest for good measure, adding to his momentum and causing him to crash headfirst into a row of rock formations. Unfortunately, Skulker chose that particular time to fire a wire at the ghost boy, catching him at the wrist. Danny was dragged along for the ride.

"Danny!"

Said ghost boy didn't have time to discern who had called his name before the impact. The two ghosts hit the rocks, hard. Danny did his best to protect his head but the wire he was attached to flailed him back and forth. On one of the swings, the boy hit the back of his head on a boulder, knocking him out.

~DP~

"...ake up. Please, wake up."

Danny couldn't help but groan as gentle hands shook him awake. He tried to sit up, but pain shot through his head, making him wince. A hand touched his shoulder as a nervous voice reached his ear.

"Y-you shouldn't move just-"

"Relax, Sam. I'm fine," he said, gingerly holding the back of his head. "But I'd be better if you had the plates to whatever hit me."

"W-what?!"

"You know, licence plates? From the truck that-" Danny cut himself off as he glanced to the girl beside him. "... You're not Sam..."

The girl shook her head, a black curtain of hair tossed in front of her face. Danny did a once over, taking her in. Her white clothes were dirty and torn in places. Cuts and bruises covered the bits of skin he could see on her, and she was thin. Not quite skin and bones, but it certainly didn't look healthy. Danny tried to meet her eyes, but she refused to look at him for some reason. He frowned. There was something familiar about this girl, but he could quite place it. But there was really only one person it could be.

"Sophie?" he asked after a moment.

The girl looked up in surprise. "Y-you know my name?"

"Yeah, I do," Danny smiled. "I've been helping your friend look for you for some time now." He reached out to tuck the girl's hair behind her ear. "She'll be glad to know you're safe. You've had her worried."

For a brief moment, Danny could see Sophie's face clearly. Forest-green eyes stared at him in wide horror and her skin glowed bright red, all the way up to her ears. But before he could study her features further, Sophie slapped his hand away. Her hair immediately fell back in her face, hiding her.

"Most people don't like having there personal space invaded," she said in a harsh but quiet tone.

Danny blinked in surprise. He hadn't meant to upset the girl. Honestly, he didn't know why he touched her at all.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Guess I wasn't thinking."

Sophie looked away from him with a slight pout. "Well, you're a guy, so I guess that's expected." The laugh she got from him wasn't what she expected, but it made her blush linger longer than she'd wanted it to.

"You're probably right about that," Danny said. He stood up and took a look around before sighing.

"S-something wrong?" Sophie asked, looking up at him.

"No, not really... Just... I kinda don't know where we are," Danny admitted. He held out a hand to help her up, which she took hesitantly.

"You mean we're lost?"

Now it was the ghost boy's turn to blush. "I don't get lost, okay? This area's just not familiar to me. I'm sure if we fly around a bit, we'll find our way out of here."

After a moment, Sophie chuckled, which made the ghost teen frown. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"My rescuer's just as lost as I am. Really makes a girl feel safe, you know?"

The teen blinked at her before laughing, as well. "Okay, maybe I'm a little lost. But it won't take us long to get back on track, trust me." He began floating in the air and offered the girl a hand. "So how 'bout we get you home, okay?"

Sophie looked at him for a moment, before taking a deep breath.

'Then you take care of him. Once and for all.'

Plasmius's words rang out in Sophie's mind as she took the ghost boy's hand.

* * *

**And there you have it! Another chapter knocked off. Til next time, guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, again! How's everyone doing? I want to thank everyone for their reviews. It really helps me to keep this story going.**

**As always, I do not own Danny Phantom or it's characters, just the storyline and the OC's.**

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Sophie sat awkwardly in the Fentons' kitchen. She'd been given a blanket as well as a cup of tea, which she'd barely touched. They'd also given her a set of Jazz's old pajamas to change into, which she was thankful for. The white dress Vlad had given her made her feel like a glorified china doll. Why he even had the stupid thing was beyond her, but she was thankful for it. The dress resembled her costume enough not to bring up any questions, at least on Willow's part. And it was a lot easier to explain away than her being found in her underwear. That wasn't a nightmare she wanted to live out.

And speaking of nightmares, Sophie was beginning to feel very claustrophobic. Three pairs of eyes were locked onto her, but the girl refused to look up. She hated being watched, being noticed. Being judged. She considered herself a wallflower by choice, it was easier to get by that way. But Danny's friends and sister all seemed hellbent on focusing all attention on her. Okay, so she was a new face, Sophie got that. But did they have to stare like that? Was she really that odd?

And for goodness sake, why wouldn't Willow let her go already?!

"You sure your fine, Soph?" the flame-headed girl asked as she hung onto her friend's shoulders. "You don't need anything else?"

"I'm fine, Willow," the girl said in a small voice. "Honest."

Willow frowned, giving Sophie a once over. "Well you should at least eat something. God, when's the last time you ate _anything_?"

"That's a good question."

Sophie tried to shrink into herself at the sound of Sam's voice. For some reason, the goth's gaze was the strongest in the room. And it made Sophie nervous Beside her, Willow glared at the other girl.

"And what exactly is that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing," Sam said, holding up her hand. "I just find it a little hard to believe that your friend's been wandering the Ghost Zone for the better half of two months. With no food or water, I might add."

A hand came to rest on Sophie's shoulder, making her jump and almost spill her tea.

"Don't mind her," Danny said, jabbing a thumb at his girlfriend. Then he laughed. "Though honestly, this is one of her good days."

"Oh, ha ha, Danny," Sam said.

Sophie didn't know how to respond to that, but as it turned out, she didn't have to. Willow shifted around the girl, putting herself between her friend and Danny. She gave the boy a very heated glare.

"I would like to point out that it wouldn't have been two months if _someone_ had hurried his ass along in finding you," she said. Sam jumped out of her seat, slamming her hands on the table.

"Hey, he found her, didn't he? You should be thanking him!" Danny's sister grabbed the girl's arm, trying to calm her down. Willow opened her mouth to say more, but Sophie cut her off.

"Really, Willow. It's okay," she said. "I-I'm here, now, right?"

"She's right guys," Jazz cut in, still holding back a fuming Sam. "After what she's been through, the most important thing, now, is making Sophie comfortable. And _not_ jumping down each other's throats." The goth growled as she was forced back into her seat.

"Whatever," Willow snorted. She took a seat next to Sophie, still a little too close for the girl's comfort.

"So what were you doing in Vlad's place, anyway?" Tucker said. Sophie noticed her friend stiffen beside her. Willow laughed nervously.

"Oh, you know. Just... Admiring the scenery..." She sent a warning glance at the ghost teen.

"Of an old rundown house?" Sam asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes. What, we can't do that cause it's your shtick, Elvira?"

"... It was beautiful..."

As soon as it was out, Sophie slammed her hands over her mouth. Once again, all eyes were on her. The girl kept her head down. 'Good one, Sophie,' she thought.

"I'm sorry, did you just say Vlad's mansion was beautiful, or am I hearing things?" Tucker asked.

"You sure we're talking about the same thing, here?" Jazz added.

"P-probably not..." Sophie wanted very much to be anywhere but there. Beside her, Willow started laughing.

"Sophie's an artist. She kinda has a weird appreciation for things the rest of us wouldn't look twice at."

"Explains why you're friends," Sam muttered, earning herself an elbow jab from Tucker.

Willow's eyes narrowed on the goth. "Well it's no wonder how you have friends, Miss Doom-and-Gloom. What with your sunny disposition."

"Maybe we should go," Sophie cut in, standing up. "Thanks for the tea."

Sam stood up, brushing Jazz off of her. "You know what, Willow? I've had it with you! You've given us nothing but problems since we met you! You're bossy, obnoxious-"

"Well excuse me for wanting to find someone I care about!" Willow cut in, jumping to her feet.

"That's no reason to drag the rest of us into your stupid mess!"

"Guys, calm down," said Danny as he tried to get between the two. He was ultimately shoved out of the was, knocking into Sophie.

"I didn't ask for your help!" Willow screamed. "I could've found Sophie on my own!"

"Is that why you've been acting like a slave driver to Danny this entire time?"

"Sam, cut it out already!" the teen hero said. He was starting to get agitated by this whole mess. He looked to Tucker and Jazz to help him, but some time during the fight, both had decided to back out of the room. They were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, yeah? Well, how's that any different from you, huh?" Willow said, making Sam growl.

"I am not a slave driver!"

"No, but you have to be there wherever he goes, don't you?! Fenton can't even walk out the door without you being right up his freaking ass!"

"STOP IT!"

Two things happened as Danny and Sophie yelled in unison. First, the teen boy's ghost sense kicked in, and then some. He felt as if someone turned on the A/C to sub-zero. Though the thought wouldn't have been too far off, because a few seconds afterward, a pillar of ice shot up between Willow and Sam, making them both jump back in surprise. Sophie's eyes widened, but thankfully everyone was too busy staring at the makeshift glacier to notice the bluish glow they'd taken on.

"W-what the hell?!" Willow screamed, breaking the silence that had followed.

"Danny, was that really necessary?" Sam asked, glaring at her boyfriend.

"Wait a minute, Sam. I didn't-"

"Wow, this place is full of jerks. C'mon, Soph, let's lose these losers." With that, the girl grabbed her friend by the hand and dragged her out of Fenton Works.

"Good riddance!" Sam yelled after them. "God, she's annoying." Beside her, Danny crossed his arms. He sent the goth a hard look.

"You didn't have to chase her out like that, Sam," he said.

"Okay, am I hearing things, or did you just take her side over your girlfriend's?"

"I'm not taking sides. I just think you overreacted." The goth glared at him before grabbing her bag.

"Whatever, Danny. I am so out of here."

"Sam-"

She slammed the front door on her way out. Danny sighed.

"Is it safe to come out now?" Jazz asked. Both her and Tucker were peeking around the kitchen door. Danny scowled at them.

" Yeah, they're gone. Thanks for the help, you two."

Tucker shrugged. "You seemed to be handling it. Nice touch with the ice, by the way."

Blue eyes settled on the ice pillar still standing in the middle of the room. That one was gonna be hard to explain to Mom and Dad. More so, because he didn't know how it happened.

"That wasn't me, guys."

Jazz rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, Danny."

"No, seriously, it wasn't!"

"Sure, it was the _other_ half-ghost kid with freezing powers."

The black haired teen was about to say something but cut himself off. There had been another ghost in the room, that he was sure of. He may not have seen it, but he sure as hell sensed it.

And with everything that's happened, lately, how far of a jump would it be to say there _was_ another half-ghost there?

~DP~

Sophie let herself get dragged halfway across town. She was glad to be out after what had happened. It shouldn't have happened. Plasmius had kept her for nearly two months to make _sure_ it didn't happen. But it did. Sophie lost control of her powers. And it scared her.

"I can't believe that witch!" Willow raged ahead of her. "And Fenton! Just up and attacking us like that! What's wrong with them?"

"D-Danny didn't attack you," Sophie said softly.

Willow sent her a look over her shoulder. "I don't know about you, Soph, but when someone creates a giant icicle five inches from your face, to me that's an attack."

"That's not-"

"Hey, you okay?" Willow asked, bringing them to a stop. She frowned as Sophie blinked at her in confusion. The dark-haired girl grew even more confused when Willow brought the back of her hand to Sophie's cheek.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're freezing. God, it's like holding onto an ice cube."

Sophie waved the hand away. "W-well, can you blame me? You dragged me out here in the middle of winter." Which was true. With only a week left until Christmas, Amity Park was a variable winter wonderland. Snow covered the buildings and tree tops in a thin layer of white. Windows were frosted over from the cold, and most people were bundled up to their eyeballs, trying to keep warm.

Willow blushed. "Crap, we didn't grab you a coat!"

"Or you." While Sophie was still a bit more scantily clad, Willow wasn't much better. She had on a red halter top on underneath a flimsy black bolero sweater. As sweet as she was, the girl clearly chose style over common sense.

"Please, like a little snow's gonna hurt me. But I wouldn't wanna stay out here too long. Wanna go to my place for some hot chocolate?"

"No, I should really check in with the orphanage," Sophie sighed. "You know how the caretakers get when they're no shows to curfew. I'm gonna get hell as it is."

"Want me to walk with you then?"

"Willow, you've done enough, today. Honest. I'll see you at school, tomorrow, okay?"

At this, Willow began to laugh. "Soph, it's Christmas vacation. We don't have school for another two weeks."

"Oh... Right..." 'Another joyous occasion,' Sophie thought to herself. It wasn't that she hated Christmas, per se. But the holiday season did have an ugly way of reminding her what an outcast she was. If she didn't have Willow to cheer her up each year, she'd probably have gone insane.

"I'll come by the orphanage tomorrow," said red-head said. "We'll make snow angels or something."

"'Kay. See you then."

With that, Willow ran off, leaving Sophie alone in the snowfall. She looked down and frowned. It seemed that she wasn't just missing a coat, but shoes as well. Odd as it was, her bare feet on the snow didn't bother her in the slightest. If anything, they felt numb. She moved her toes to make sure they weren't frostbitten, but everything seemed to work just fine.

"Y'know, someone might think you're weird if you just stand in the cold like this."

Danny could've sworn he saw the girl jump two feet into the air. Sophie let out a high-pitched yelp as she landed on her rear in the snow. She stared wide-eyed at the ghost boy floating above her.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Sorry," Danny said, sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't mean to scare-"

"THEN WHY WOULD YOU SNEAK UP ON ME?! YOU GAVE ME A FREAKING HEART ATTACK!"

The boy winced. "Calm down. You might wake the neighbors."

"And who's fault would that be?!" Sophie yelled. She gathered up the snow around her and fired a snowball into the air. She had aimed for Danny's chest, but it merely flew harmlessly over his shoulder. The boy laughed.

"Ha, you're aim sucks."

The next one hit him in the face. 'Note to self,' he thought. 'Don't taunt the angry girl.'

"Why are you here?!" Sophie demanded.

Danny sputtered, wiping the snow off of him. "I needed to talk to you about something."

"And it couldn't wait for some other time?! I want to go _home_! I'm wet, I'm tired, I'm cold-"

"You're freezing," the boy frowned.

"That's what I said!"

"No, Sophie. I mean your seriously freezing things. Look."

Danny pointed to the ground and Sophie's gaze followed. Sure enough, the ground beneath her feet was frozen solid. And not just that. Cars, trees, anything within four feet of the girl was covered in a sheet of ice. Sophie looked around in slight horror.

"Oh, no," she whispered. The white-haired teen touched down beside her.

"Seems like that accident did more than just send you into the Ghost Zone." Sophie hugged herself, not saying a word. Sighing, Danny turned her around to face him.

"Back in the kitchen, that was you, wasn't it?" he asked.

"I-I didn't mean to... I... I thought I could control it..."

"Well, you obviously can't." Sophie glared at him, biting her lip. "I mean... Wow, that didn't come out right."

"I'm going home," the girl said. She turned to walk away, but Danny caught her arm.

"Hold on, I wanna help!"

Sophie shied out of his touch. "Help how?"

The ghost boy held out his palm, and for a brief moment, his green eyes glowed blue. An ice crystal began to form in his hand.

"I have a similar power," he said. "I can teach you how to control your powers. The ice core isn't easy to handle, trust me, I know. But, with some training, you should at least be able to keep from accidentally freezing things."

"You... You'd train me?" She thought about it for a moment. Having the Danny Phantom help her with her ghost powers? And if he understood more about this power than Vlad...

"Well, yeah. I'm sure the others would help out too."

An uneasy feeling sank into Sophie's stomach. "Others?"

"Tuck and Sam, I mean."

"They know about this?"

Danny frowned. "No, I haven't gotten around to telling them, yet."

"Well don't! No one can know about this!" It was bad enough he found out. If Plasmius knew she'd blown it on the first day... She didn't want to think about what would happen. She unconsciously grasped the brace on her arm.

"They know how to keep a secret, Sophie," Danny said with a frown.

"Why should I believe that?!"

"Because they kept mine."

"That's different, Danny. They're your friends, not mine."

"Sophie, they can help, I promise. Besides, a secret like this could wreck your life."

"And telling the world that I'm a kid with unstable ghost powers is better? I'm branded enough of a freak as it is."

"Sophie..."

"You know what it's like, Danny. You had to keep your secret from your family. How can you ask me to spill mine to people I don't even know?"

She'd hoped it would be enough of a guilt trip to keep him quiet. Some part of her felt bad about playing that card. But what else could she do? She needed to be manipulative. She needed to survive this.

After a moment, Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Alright. I won't tell them."

"Thank you-"

"But only on two conditions. One; you let me train you. I can't have you going around with your powers unchecked."

"...Fine. I-I can live with that."

"And you have to tell Willow."

"What?!"

"You need to be able to trust someone with this, Sophie."

"B-but I-"

"I'm not budging on this. You need to tell her."

Sophie bit her lip. She'd rather not tell the girl. Knowing her, she'd probably put the blame on Danny, then rant all the way to his house so she could knock him one. But Willow was anything, if not loyal. As long as she didn't say anything, what was the harm?

"A-alright, fine. I... I'll tell her tomorrow."

"Good. Now let's get you home." Without warning, the ghost teen picked Sophie up, holding her bridal-style. Her face turned beet red.

"H-hey!" she shouted. "I-I can walk just fine."

"Yeah, no," Danny said, smirking. He gestured to her feet. "No self-respecting man would let a girl walk home barefoot in the snow."

The girl huffed. "And what would your girlfriend say if she saw you sweeping someone else off her feet?"

"Uh, well... T-there's really no point in telling her, is there?" he laughed, nervously. And before Sophie could make any more protests, the two rose into the air and flew off.

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**And there you have it. Next chapter will be up soon. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, again. This chapters a little on the short side, but I promise I won't allow anything less than 2000 words in my chapters. Hope, that's okay with you all. Anyway, here's chapter five.**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Danny Phantom or its characters. **

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The sun was just starting to set when Danny and Sophie reached the orphanage. The ghost touched down at the front steps before glancing at the girl in his arms.

"You sure this is the right place?" he asked.

Sophie smiled. "Yep. It's not the Taj Mahal, but it's home."

The building in front of them wasn't exactly rundown, but it wasn't well cared for either. Vines covered the front and sides in a wall of leaves, but the brick underneath peeked through in some places. The sign at the top was old and faded, spelling out the words _St. B. Mary's Orphanage_. The old porch light flickered every now and again, but never managed to go out. Old as it looked, Sophie loved it. The building had character. And that's what mattered most, right?

Danny just shrugged at her. "Hey, I'm not saying anything. You saw where I live, remember?"

Sophie laughed as she was set back onto her feet. She half-expected the cold stone stairs to bother her, but they only felt cool on her skin, much like the snow did earlier. She couldn't help but wonder if it was due to her new abilities. The two stood in silence for a couple moments, and soon it became awkward for them both. Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

"So, uh... I should probably get going," he said, breaking the silence. Sophie blinked and looked at her feet, blushing. She hadn't realized she'd been staring. She must've looked like an idiot. Ashamed, the girl hid behind her hair, as usual.

"Y-yeah... See ya later..." she said softly.

The ghost boy began to float again. But just before he left, he turned back to her. "Hey, about your training."

"Y-yes?"

"Why don't you come by Fenton Works, tomorrow?"

Sophie blinked. Did he really want to see her so soon? "Oh... Um, I kinda had plans with Willow..."

"Stop by after, then. The sooner you learn to control your powers, the better. We can even work on your aim!"

She scowled at him. "My aim is fine, thank you. I can demonstrate now if you'd like."

"Uh, no, that's okay," Danny laughed. "See ya tomorrow!" With that, the ghost teen flew off. Sophie watched him go for a moment before sighing and going inside.

~DP~

"You'll be cleaning the bathrooms for the next week!" a shrill voice screamed at Sophie. "And don't even think about any late night outings, young lady! We'll be watching you like hawks from now on!"

Sophie rolled her eyes. How was it any different from any other day, here? It was just her luck that Ms. Patrice was on duty for that night. She always screamed at the kids in her care. She loved giving orders, but when it came to actually helping her charges, the older woman always came up short. Instead of helping with homework and such, all of her attention went to her fleeting looks that she tried desperately to maintain.

'Kids disappear daily from this place, and all she cares about is punishing those stupid enough to come back,' Sophie thought to herself with a sigh. A voice in the back of her head decided to point out that she was one of the idiots who returned, but she ignored it and nodded at the banshee of a woman. She endured the yelling for a few more minutes before being sent to her room, no dinner of course.

Going upstairs, Sophie peeked in on the other kids in the compound. Most were listening to music or studying. She stopped by one door and smiled. A little girl was fast asleep on her desk, headphones on. She walked up to her, took the headphones off and tucked her into bed. She patted blond curls and sat beside her for awhile.

"Welcome back, Mary Poppins."

Sophie jumped and looked at the doorway. Leaning against the frame was a tall teenage boy with long, shaggy brown hair that didn't quite reach his shoulders. His skin was softly tanned, a shade higher than an olive tone. He wore a leather jacket and a simple blue tee with the words 'Here I am; What are your other two wishes?'. Sophie glared at him.

"Michael!" she hissed, trying not to wake the girl.

The teen chuckled, kicking himself off the frame. "Cool it, princess. Just sayin' hello."

"You know I hate it when you sneak up on me," she huffed.

"Why do you think I do it?" he smirked. Sophie rolled her eyes at him. "So where'd ya go this time, Mary? Had some kids in England to babysit?"

"Doesn't that joke ever get old for you?"

"Nope. As long as you keep acting like a live in nanny, I'm gonna keep callin' you Mary," he said with a smirk.

Sophie huffed and got up. She pushed passed the boy. "For your information, where I go is none of your business."

"Aww, someone's moody," the boy snickered.

"Grow up, Mike."

She heard the boy laugh as she locked herself into her room. Thankfully, her roommate was over at a friend's for the night. The room was all hers. She sighed and flopped onto her bed.

~DP~

Danny logged onto his computer. He was tired, that was for sure. But he knew with everything that had happened that day, there was no way he was catching any z's anytime soon. The teen hoped that a few minutes of online gaming would drain the last bit of reserves his mind had. A soon as he got on, an icon popped up, indicating Sam was online. Danny sighed. He didn't know if she'd be willing to talk to him, but he decided to try. With one click, a video chat was opened up.

To his surprise, Sam joined him almost immediately.

"Hey," Danny said with a half-smile.

"Hey, yourself," Sam said in her usual tone, but she smiled too. Then the goth sighed. "Danny, I-"

"Relax, Sam," he said, quickly cutting her off. "You don't have to apologize."

"Who said I was gonna?" she smirked. "But I am sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's that girl. She just gets under my skin, you know?"

"Yeah, I can tell." Danny laughed. "She gets to you worse than Paulina use to."

"What do you mean 'use to'?"

At that, the two of them shared a laugh. And boy did that feel good?

"Well, look on the bright side," Danny said, a smile still on his face. "At least we won't have to deal with her anymore."

Sam frowned, putting a finger to her lips. "True, but something's still bugging me."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that this Sophie girl survived two months alone in the Ghost Zone. And how did she end up there to begin with? It doesn't add up."

Danny shrugged. "Well, the portals do sometimes go through time, too. Maybe it wasn't really two months for her?"

"That's extremely convenient, don't you think?"

The teen boy raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, if you've got a better explanation, I'm all ears."

The goth sighed. "No, I don't." It didn't help that Sophie claimed to not be able to remember much of anything other than coming to in the Ghost Zone and finding Danny unconscious. Sam had no way of knowing whether or not the girl was trying to pull a fast one. "It still makes me uneasy, though."

"I know what might help take your mind off of things," Danny grinned.

"Yeah?"

"An all-day horror fest. Tuck managed to, um, _acquire_ the first five movies of the Terminatra series on our cable box. We could meet up at my house and watch them? Just the two of us?"

"Really? I wonder how the citizens of Amity Park would take knowing their mayor's a cyber pirate."

"Who cares? We're getting free movies! And we'll be rebelling against the man for his outrageous movie prices and copyright laws, so it's a win-win."

"True. Teenage rebellion is good for the soul, after all. See you at nine?"

Her boyfriend smirked at her. "Don't keep me waiting."

Sam laughed at him. "Wouldn't dream of it. Goodnight, Danny. See you tomorrow."

"You too, Sam. I love you."

"Love you, too."

The video feed cut out, leaving Danny to look at his desktop picture of him, Tucker, and Sam. At least that got resolved. He hated being on bad terms with his girl. For a moment, he thought about logging off. He quickly checked the time. Ten o'clock. Well, just one level of _Doomed_ wouldn't hurt, right?

~DP~

At some point, Sophie must have fallen asleep. Because when she opened her eyes, the glow of twilight was completely gone, leaving her room in complete darkness. She would've gone back to sleep, if Plasmius hadn't been standing in the middle of her room.

The girl froze in fear. He hadn't seemed to notice her waking up. The white dressed man stood in front of her art board, staring at what was on it. Sophie shot out of bed, making the mattress creak. Plasmius looked over his shoulder at her and grinned.

"Ah, nice to see you're awake, my dear girl," he purred. "I was just admiring your artwork. You're very talented."

He stepped aside to reveal the drawing she'd done of Danny. It showed the ghost boy in mid-flight, a ghostly tail whirling behind him. A night sky hung in the background. The only bit of color in the graphite piece were the eyes, green and determined. Sophie would've blushed if she wasn't so damn terrified.

Plasmius went on, as if he was oblivious to the girl's fright. But the Cheshire grin he wore said otherwise. "It is quite a lovely rendition, if I do say so myself. A little fanciful for my tastes, but who am I to judge, really? You must've taken a great deal of care in creating it."

"...T-thank you..." the girl all but whispered. Vlad stepped towards her, making her back up until she reached the wall. The dark ghost chuckled lightly.

"I trust everything is going well?"

"I... Y-yes... I think so... I-it's to early to s-say for sure."

"Ah, so his discovery of your powers was intentional?"

Sophie felt her stomach drop. Her heart went off like a jackhammer. How did he know? Was he following her every move? Or was it... She clutched the brace on her arm. It wouldn't have been hard for the dark ghost to put a listening device on it. Which meant he could monitor everything she did. Plasmius shook his head. A hand reached inside his cape, as if looking for something.

"I am very disappointed in you, Sophia. To make such a blunder-"

"I meant to." The words were out before Sophie could stop them.

Vlad stopped his movement and raised an eyebrow. "Did you now?"

"Y-yes." She swallowed hard, trying to find her voice. "You wanted me to gain his trust, right?"

"And you think by telling him your half-ghost, you'll achieve that?"

"If nothing else, it bought me alone time with him." A cold sweat had spread over the girl, but she did her best to speak through it. She was surprised that she could keep her voice so steady, but it helped that she wasn't looking at the man before her. Her eyes remained fixed on some random spot on the floor.

For a moment, Plasmius didn't say a word. Then he grinned.

"You make a valid point, my dear." He ran his fingers through her hair, making her flinch. "Very well. I'll let you play this little scenario out. But I won't take kindly to any more mishaps, Sophia."

"I understand..."

"You'd better. If you know what's good for you. Sweet dreams, my dear."

Vlad didn't so much disappear as fade from view, much like a Cheshire cat. A very twisted, evil Cheshire cat. Sophie hugged herself. She didn't realize she was crying until the tears hit her arms.

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**Well, there you have it. Please tell me what you guys think so far. See ya next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter. Now that I've gotten this far, I think it's time to start with the weekly posts. Truth be told, this story's kinda cutting into my schoolwork. But I'm still sticking with it and hope to gain some time management skills along with it. As always, I live for your reviews. Now onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of it's characters. Only the characters I've added and the storyline are of my design. **

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Sam sighed at her still sleeping boyfriend. She'd shown up at nine on the dot. She even dressed up for the occasion... Well, as much as her goth demeanor would let her, anyway. A simple black dress, some lacy stockings, a little purple here and there... The point was, she was up and rearing to go, but her boyfriend hadn't even brushed his teeth yet. Hell, he hadn't even moved from his computer the entire night, the screen flashing the words Game Over. Sam shook her head. One of these days, she was going to hide that cursed video game collection of his. But first she had to wake him up.

The goth put a hand on Danny's shoulder and gave him a gentle shake.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," she said. The boy swatted her hand away and muttered something about 'five more minutes'. The girl's eyes narrowed. So that's how he wanted to play, huh? Fine, she could deal with that.

Sam grabbed Danny's headphones and put them on the ghost boy. Plugging them into his music system, she hit play and slowly turned up the volume. In no time at all, Danny jolted awake, ripping the head phones off. His head whipped around and eyes landed on Sam, who was smirking.

"Sam!" he said in annoyance. His girlfriend laughed.

"Serves you right for pulling an all night game session. Didn't we have plans for today?"

"Sorry," Danny said with a yawn. "Didn't mean to sleep in on you."

"Can't say I'm surprised," his girlfriend smirked.

He cracked his back in a stretch before relaxing, rubbing the sleep off his face. "Well, just give me a minute to wake up, and..." His voice trailed off as a hand touched his chest. A dark glint shined in Sam's violet eyes. The goth girl smirked.

"Maybe I can help with that." She pushed him back in his computer chair, rolling him away from the desk. The goth sat in his lap and, losing her fingers in his dark hair, she pulled him into a kiss. Danny sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist. A hand slid up his girlfriend's back, creeping under her shirt. Sam let out a soft moan, letting her hands explore the teen beneath her. Black-tipped fingers gently traced the well-toned muscle underneath her boyfriend's white shirt. Smirking, the boy took the opportunity to explore her mouth, further. Oh, how he loved the taste of her. Like a mix of honey and lemongrass. He wouldn't mind drinking her kiss in all day. And judging by the way Sam was nipping at his bottom lip, neither did she.

"OHMIGOSH! HOW AM I GOING TO UNSEE THAT?!"

The two jolted apart. Danny glared at the doorway, his face burning with embarrassment.

"What the hell, Jazz?!"

The auburn-haired, young woman was blocking her eyes from the scene. Her body was half-turned away from the door. "What, you think I enjoy walking in on my little brother?!" she screamed back.

"Uh, ever hear of knocking?" Sam said, folding her arms. She was still in Danny's lap, but the mood was most definitely killed. The teen beneath her rested his cheek in his palm. He glared at the ceiling.

"I would have, if you actually shut the door! Why would you leave it wide open?!" Jazz yelled.

"Jazz, what do you want?" the boy asked in an irritated tone.

"Mom and Dad're asking for you in the lab. Something about a spectral alarm or something... Were you two frenching?"

"GET LOST!" the two yelled in unison. Jazz hurried passed her brother's door. As much as it was disturbing to see, it gave her great ammunition for later. And that was something to grin at.

~DP~

Willow set the boom box on a nearby bench, a towel underneath it to keep it dry. It was a rare warm spell for Amity Park's winter season, and the flame-haired girl had no problem in taking the chance to enjoy the good weather while it lasted. Besides, her mother wouldn't let them dance in the house, anymore. Not after Willow'd accidentally broken the antique vase they'd gotten from her aunt as a house warming gift. Not that she was sorry. That horrendous thing was a waste of good living room space.

As soon as her ipod was hooked up and ready to go, Willow turned to her friend.

"You ready?" she asked, but she might as well have been asking the air.

If Sophie had heard, she didn't give any indication of it. The girl was nose-deep in a sketch book, concentrating on a still life of the Christmas tree Willow's block had set up for the year. Her hands were stained black from the charcoal she used. There were even black marks on her face.

Willow huffed, and like the child she was, snatched the book away. Sophie gave a startled squeak.

"Willow, give that back!" she said, reaching for the book, but from where she sat on the bench, she couldn't reach far enough to gain it back from the shorter girl's grasp.

"You can have this back when we're done," Willow chided, waving the sketch book in the other girl's face. "Now, are we dancing or what?"

"Slave driver."

"Hey, if it wasn't for me, you'd still be up in your room, painting or something like it, without any exercise, whatsoever."

Sophie pouted, but she knew the girl was right. Besides, she did sort of enjoy dancing; almost as much as the other did. As much as the fiery red-head loved her clothes, music and dance were her true passions. Plus, Willow was a great teacher.

"Well, come on! Get up, already!" Willow said, tapping her foot. She set the book down on the boom box.

"Alright, alright, keep your boots on," Sophie muttered. As she got up to stretch, Willow shuffled through her ipod. She settled on a song and soon the basketball court began to fill with a steady beat.

"We'll start with some freestyle as a warm up before we hit the choreographed stuff. Sound good to you?"

Sophie gave a small nod and the two started to prepare themselves, stretching their limbs and shaking themselves out. Willow danced first. Her movements had a sort of chaotic rhythm to them; each step and thrust acting as if it was a spontaneous thought, but connecting together in one fluid dance. Sophie watched, slightly swaying along with the music. When it cam to be her turn, the raven-haired girl eased into the mid-tempo rhythm, not quite attacking it as Willow had. It was easy to see the differences in each girl's style. Where the red-head would've jumped, Sophie spun. Where Willow might have made a sharp thrust or shown off some fancy footwork, her friend chose to slide and roll her body to the music.

For two more songs, the girls traded off the makeshift dance floor. As Sophie finished her last time in the spotlight, Willow went and changed the song. The dark-haired girl panted, hands on her knees.

"We're starting with an easy one, right?" she said between breaths.

"Actually, I made a new routine while you were gone. Figured we could spend today learning it."

"What?!"

Willow laughed at her friend's horror. "Chill, Soph. Like I had any time to dance while you were missing. I was much too busy looking for your sorry ass."

"You little-" Sophie threw a snowball at the girl, hitting her on the shoulder. Willow shrieked and returned fire. The two broke out into an all out snow war, laughter filling the air.

~DP~

Danny frowned at the monitor. The screen displayed a simple green picture, almost like a radar. But nothing was flashing. This is what he came down here for?

"Guys, what am I looking at?" he deadpanned. The boy turned to his parents. Jack and Maddie Fenton stood just behind their son in their usual jumpsuit attire. As per usual for the woman, Maddie had her hood pulled up, her goggles taking up most of her face. She smiled at Danny.

"It's the new and improved Ecto-Exodus Alarm!" she told him.

"And just wait until you see what this baby can do!" Jack chimed in. His over-eagerness made Danny cringe, but the boy hid it with a smile.

"Isn't it just an alert for massive ghost activity?" Sam asked. She stepped around his parents, taking her place by Danny at the monitor. "I mean, what kind of improvements could you make to this thing?"

"Before, it could only detect massive outbreaks of ectoplasmic activity," Maddie said with a smile. "But with the new upgrades we've given it using the blueprints of the Fenton Finder, we can now pick up on nearly any level of activity in Amity Park, no matter how small or insignificant."

"We've even made portable ones!" Jack said, holding up a pair of wristbands. "I call 'em the Fenton All-Purpose Specter Utility Watches!" They were metallic and indeed had the guises of watches, except for the fact that Jack Fenton's face was at the center of each one. Danny took one and studied it. He hit a button on the side, causing the face of the watch to pop up and reveal a hidden monitor screen. 'It's actually pretty neat,' he thought.

"Why don't you just call them Fenton Watches?" Sam said.

Jack blinked. "That works, too."

"They're still in the testing stage, so we don't know what kind of bugs they might have," Maddie said.

"And let me guess, you'd like me to test them out for you," Danny said. He'd expected as much. As Amity Park's top ghost experts, his parents never stopped with their research. The ghost boy had always feared ending up as one of their experiments, and now that they knew his secret, in a way that fear came true. Just not how he would've thought. What with their son being the most famous ghost hero in the world, the Fentons thought who better to test all their ghost-nabbing gadgets? For the most part, Danny was okay with it, but it did get tiring after awhile. Not that he wasn't eager to try out the little gadget, but his ghost sense was more than enough of an indicator for spectral activity. He didn't really have any use for it.

"It would be a big help, sweetie," his mom smiled.

"Couldn't hurt, right?" Sam shrugged, taking the other watch. "They might actually be useful."

"Yeah, I guess we can be guinea pigs," Danny sighed. "It isn't much different from any other time, anyway."

"Great! We'll expect full reports when you get back tonight!" Jack cheered. Danny frowned for a moment before his eyes got wide.

"Wait a minute! Sam and I already had-" He was cut off when firm hands grasped his and Sam's shoulders, spinning them towards the door. Before either teen could utter a word in protest, The Fentons shuffled them out of the lab, both grinning madly.

"Now, you kids have fun!" Maddie said.

"And in case they short circuit and fry you, there's ointment under the bathroom sink!" Jack added. With that the door slammed shut. Danny and Sam shared a look, then glanced at the Fenton Watches. The ghost boy quickly took the one in his girlfriend's grasp.

"Um, I think _I_ should be the one to hold onto these, for now," he said with a slight frown. The goth girl held up her hands in mock surrender.

"They're all yours," she told him.

Danny sighed, running a hand through his black hair. "Well, I guess our plans for today are shot."

"Yeah, I guess. We should probably go patrolling and see if we can't set them off," Sam said, pointing to the watches. They stood in silence for a moment, then the goth gave her boyfriend a sly little smirk. "_Or_ we could be typical teenagers and completely ignore our elders?"

Danny broke out in a grin. "That works, too."

~DP~

Vlad Masters prided himself as a very patient man. After all, it had taken him years to accumulate his wealth, even if his means were unsavory at best. His patience and planning also won him the Fright Knight, whom he still held in his back pocket. He even held off from attacking the very bane of his existence upon his return from space. Oh, but what fun would it be to simply eliminate Jack Fenton? No, he had plans for the fool, and they all started with his goody-two-shoed son. Just the thought of the devastation on the fat oaf's face when he saw the Little Badger's lifeless body brought a smile to the dark ghost.

Still, with all his vast patience, that ungrateful brat he'd found was testing his last nerve.

He'd given the girl very simple instructions, how hard could they be to follow? Honestly, all she had to do was sidle up to young Daniel before tearing him apart. But what was she doing? Young Sophia was off dancing with her friend, like she didn't have a care in the world. Like he didn't hold her life in the palm of his hand. Didn't that just make him want to grind his teeth? Obviously, his little scare tactic wasn't enough of a drive for her.

The elder man sat in a closed room, watching his newest pawn go about her day. He kept a hidden tracker on the girl at all times. Call it what you will, but information was power. And all the information he gathered on Sophia would give him absolute power over the girl.

A soft meow caught the man's attention. He looked up to see his sleek white cat jump up on the back of his couch. She purred as the man brought a hand up to rub against her side. Vlad sighed. Though he'd lost a great deal of his wealth in the Disasteroid incident, he'd been smart enough to leave himself a fail-safe. Most of his funds were put in hidden accounts and he could still make purchases under a well developed alias. He'd even been able to reclaim his feline, Maddie. But being forced to live in hiding put quite a hit on his pride.

Still, Vlad knew it was only a matter of time before he was back in the limelight. And sweet little Sophia would help him to it. She just needed the right amount of guidance. And that was something the man was more than eager to give.

Vlad always did want a son, but a daughter would do him just fine.

As the feline leaped into his lap, the man returned his attention back to the screen, watching as his pawn enacted a snowball fight. Vlad's eyes narrowed at the screen. As useful as children were, they certainly could be infuriating. It was obvious he'd need to give the girl another little reminder of her duty to him.

A cruel smile played on his lips. Perhaps it was time to give Sophia a visual aid?

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**And there you have it. Yeah, I know it's another filler and I promise to get to the good stuff in the next chapter. See you next week!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey again! So I'm sort of a day late, I think. But I hope it's worth it! 3000 words this chapter, so you guys enjoy! As always I look forward to your reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DP or it's characters.**

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Sophie knocked on the door to Fenton Works. Stepping back, she took in the sight of the building. It was... complex, to say the least. There was so much detail, and not in an appealing way. Sophie cocked her head to the side. It was an odd mixture of old and new, if that made sense. The brick was faded and the windows had thickened at the bottom with time. Stone stairs were cracked and uneven. The building itself was obviously aged, though it stood proud. She liked that about it. What she didn't care for were the additions. The wacky metal parts and antennae that protruded from the top of the structure just didn't go with the rest of it. Even the sign felt out of place, what with it's large fancy lettering and odd placement. To be honest, it looked like a five-year-old designed it.

The girl supposed it would make a nice picture, but did she really want to draw the atrocity?

"Hello?"

The voice brought Sophie's attention back to the doorway. Danny's sister stood with the door halfway open, sea-green eyes staring down at the girl. Sophie blinked then stuttered.

"Oh, uh, h-hi. I-is Danny home?"

"He's running an errand for our parents," Jazz said. "Should be back soon, though. It's Sophie, right?"

The dark-haired girl just nodded. Jazz opened the door fully.

"Okay, come on in! You must be freezing."

Sophie frowned. It couldn't have been that cold. Sure, it was snowing and close to nightfall, but the wind was barely blowing, and her jacket kept her warm enough. Still, she walked in, not knowing what else to do. Jazz shut the door behind her, then rubbed her hands together to keep warm.

"Brrr! Man, it's cold, this year," the older girl said. "I don't know how you can wear that."

"I... Uh..."

"Must be nice to be young."

Sophie blinked. The other girl wasn't much older than her, but she wasn't going to say anything about it.

"So, what'cha need Danny for?" Jazz asked, leading the girl into the living room. She offered Sophie a seat, but the girl opted to stand.

"Oh... I-I just... wanted to thank him... Y'know, for saving me..."

"Oh, I'm sure it's no big deal. Danny does things like that all the time."

"Y-yeah. Guess it's kind of redundant, huh?" Good heavens, why couldn't she be a better liar?

"Well, I wouldn't say that. Though, most fans just flood the mailbox with thank-you cards."

Sophie blinked. "Oh... Guess I could've done that..."

"Yeah, but then you run the risk of being grouped with the crazed Phan-girls," Jazz laughed. Sophie blushed. If she was being completely honest, it wasn't too wild of an assumption. Silence hung in the air for a moment before Jazz gave the girl a sly smirk. "You're shy, aren't you?"

"H-huh?"

Jazz nodded to herself like she'd just made some grand discovery. "Yeah, I figured as much. You didn't really speak all that much before, either. Poor people skills?"

"Oh... Y-yeah, sorta..."

The auburn-haired girl stepped around Sophie. "Y'know, I bet it'd be easier to talk to people if they actually saw your face. If we put your hair up..." She began to pull the long ebony strands off of Sophie's shoulders and up into a ponytail. The younger girl jumped away, grabbing her hair out of Jazz's hands.

"My hair's fine," she said. Didn't anyone in this family know about personal space?

"You sure? 'Cause if it's a confidence issue-"

"It's not."

"Denying a problem isn't gonna make it go away."

She didn't know how or why, but Sophie felt she was heading into dangerous territory.

"I think I should go, now. I-I'll catch Danny some other time."

"Oh, okay," Jazz said as the girl walked passed her. "Nice seeing you, again!"

Sophie mumbled something under her breath as she made her way to the front door. She opened it with a quick jerk and froze. On the other side stood Danny and his girlfriend. Neither one had noticed the girl. They were too busy locking lips for that. Sophie's eyes widened and her face turned about fifty shades of red. She was like a deer caught in headlights and too startled to move.

Lucky for her, Jazz chose that moment to make herself known again.

"Okay, seriously guys? You need to stop making out in public places. You're creeping people out."

The couple broke apart to glare at her, but Danny's eyes fell on Sophie. At first he looked confused, but as it dawned on him why the girl was there, his mouth formed a silent 'oh'.

"Most people find it romantic to kiss at the doorstep," Sam said, slightly glaring at Jazz.

"Honestly, you guys have no shame, whatsoever."

Still red-faced, Sophie shifted on her feet. Her green eyes refused to look at anything but the ground.

"H-hey, Sophie."

The girl risked a look at the teen hero. He also wore a blush, but it was barely noticeable on his skin. Danny offered her a sheepish smile. A dull pain pulsed in Sophie's chest. She quickly looked at her feet, again, mumbling a soft "hello".

"Why're you here?" Sam asked. It wasn't exactly mean, but the girl couldn't help her suspicious nature.

Sophie began to play with the few strands of hair that hung over her shoulder. "I... I..."

"She's here to thank Danny," Jazz said. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, causing her to jump. Sophie glanced at the older girl, who gave her a bright smile.

"Thank me?" Danny asked, frowning.

"Y-yeah... I-I didn't thank you for saving me, before. A-and I wanted to ap-pologize for Willow. She's n-not usually like that." Total, blatant lie.

"Oh, well there's really no-" The boy was cut off by Sophie's sudden bow. The girl snapped over at the waist, her hair quickly flying to cover her face.

"Thank you and please accept my apology!" she practically shouted. Danny blinked in shock.

"Uh, sure. No big deal."

Sophie slowly righted herself. She balled her hands at her sides, knuckles turning white. Without saying another word, Sophie walked passed Danny and Sam. As soon as she was off the stone steps, the girl broke off into a run. The three watched her rocket off down the street. Jazz laughed.

"She's so adorable," the older teen said. Danny gave his sister an odd look.

"What exactly did you do to her? She looked terrified."

Jazz put her hands on her hips, giving the boy a stern look. "Hey, I wasn't the one tying tongues with my girlfriend."

Sam cleared her throat. "And on that note, I'm heading out. See ya later, Danny. I had a great time."

"Me too," he said with a smile. "See ya."

The goth made her way home. Jazz frowned as she left.

"Shouldn't you have flown her home?"

The boy sighed. "Well, we were gonna go upstairs and watch a couple movies."

"What's stopping you?"

"Something called a 'nosy older sister'," Danny deadpanned. Jazz rolled her eyes but smiled, all the same.

"Whatever. Did you get a chance to test Mom and Dad's new gadget?"

Danny shook his head, going inside. "Not really. I was planning on trying them out on patrol tonight."

"Then what were you out doing all this time?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna classify that as 'None-of-your-business'." He grabbed a quick snack and headed for the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get going."

Jazz blinked. "So soon? Don't you want to rest before patrolling?"

As much as Danny would've liked to do just that, he felt guilty about forgetting Sophie. And the way she ran off like that. 'Way to go, Fenton,' he thought. 'When it comes to disappointing girls, you're two for two, today.'

"Can't! I'll be back by seven!" He ran passed his sister, nearly knocking her over. Jazz sputtered, yelling after the boy, but he didn't pay attention to her.

~DP~

Sophie sighed, sitting on a snow-covered bench. The cold wetness that seeped into the seat of her pants was mildly noted, but the girl couldn't care less. That was the most embarrassing thing she'd ever gone through. And considering who her best friend was, that was saying something. She pulled her legs up to hug her knees. Her chest still hurt a little, and she tried her best to ignore it. This wasn't the time to develop a school-girl crush. Especially on someone who was obviously taken.

_He'll be dead soon, anyway_, a cold voice spoke in the back of her mind.

'That's if I do what Plasmius wants me to.'

_If you don't, you're dead. It's him or you._

'... I know...'

The girl sighed again. Just then, a chill ran through her body. Her breath came out as a cold cloud. She tightened her coat against the night air.

"There you are!"

Shaken out of her thoughts, Sophie looked up in time to see Danny Phantom flying towards her. He landed at her side, apparently out of breath. The girl blinked, eyes wide.

"Danny? Why're you here?"

"I'm training you, remember?" he said with a frown. "That's why you came over, right?"

"W-well, yeah... Kinda figured we were calling it off, though," Sophie mumbled.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Guess I forgot you were coming." Danny rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

"It's fine. We'll do it some other time."

"I've got time right now."

"You sure? I mean I don't want to keep you..."

"Of course. I want to get your powers under control as soon as possible." He offered her a hand. "There's an old warehouse nearby we can use to train. That's if you don't mind a short flight trip."

She hesitated, but took his hand in the end. Danny pulled her to her feet. He tried to make eye contact but the girl refused to look at him. Danny frowned. "Shall we?"

Sophie shrugged. "Lead the way, ghost boy."

~DP~

The two phased into an old boarded-up building. Sophie looked around. It was... Well, unpleasant, to say the least. Mostly because of the dust that blanketed the area. Clouds of it kicked up with every move they made, making it hard for Sophie to breathe.

"I know we're part ghost and all, and this place really goes well with the creepy vibe, but couldn't we have gone somewhere more... I don't know, livable?" Sophie asked.

"Well, as long as you want to keep your powers under wraps, my place is kind of off limits," Danny shrugged. "Besides, all it needs is a good cleaning."

"Not how I thought we'd have our first session."

"We'll leave that for later. Let's just work on your powers for tonight."

Sophie nodded. "So where do we start?"

Danny opened his mouth, then re-closed it, frowning. "Y'know, I didn't really think that far."

"Really?" she asked, slightly chuckling.

"Kinda new to the whole 'mentor' thing."

"Comforting." He gave the girl a glare, which only made her laugh even more. "Sorry. I'll behave."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Danny mumbled with a sigh. Then, he clapped his hands together. "Okay, let's do this." Suddenly, the teen disappeared from view. Sophie blinked, looking around the room.

"Danny?" she asked, slightly worried.

"Right here." The hero reappeared exactly where he stood before, though the girl still jumped slightly.

"Please, don't do that."

Danny chuckled at her. "Sorry. But that's what we're gonna start with: Invisibility."

"O...Kay... Now what?"

"Now, it's your turn. Give it a try." Sophie gave a small nod and stood in front of him.

"Try and imagine yourself as glass," the ghost boy continued. "You're completely see-through." The girl closed her eyes and concentrated, trying not to be seen. 'See-through, see-through,' she began to chant in her head. A tingling spread across her legs and hands before they became completely numb. Her first thought was that it was working, but Danny's voice made her think twice.

"Sophie! Sophie, STOP!"

Sophie opened her eyes and looked up at the snow-haired teen. A frown played on her lips. Since when was Danny so tall? Weren't they about the same height? Then she looked down and promptly squeaked. Almost half of her body had sank into the floor, leaving just her torso and part of her arms. Danny quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back up. The girl shook limbs she couldn't see until they became visible.

"Okay, well, that was intangibility."

"Kind of figured," Sophie mumbled. She shouldn't have screwed up like that. Turning invisible was one of the easier ghost powers to learn, and Plasmius had spent hours on end drilling the knowledge into her. But, damn, was she nervous? And it didn't help that the boy in front of her had a vice-grip on her arms. A light blush began to spread across her face. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice the brace Plasmius had put on her. Not that she was taking chances. "Um, you can let go, now."

He gently set her on her feet, not letting go until he was sure she wouldn't sink down again. A hand quickly scrubbed through his hair as he frowned in thought. "I'd say try again, but..."

"Not really eager to try again," Sophie muttered.

"Okay. Something else then."

The girl cast her gaze to the side. "...W-why don't you show me that ice trick, again?"

Danny's brows furrowed. "That's a pretty advanced trick. I'd rather get the basics down first."

"Yeah... I figured..."

A moment of silence hung between them. Once again, Danny found he could not meet the girl's eye. It was weird. One minute, they'd be talking as if they were old friends, then next, she was completely closed off to him. 'I guess she's just not comfortable around me yet,' he thought. But what could he do about it?

"Let me see your hands," the boy said. Sophie blinked in confusion.

"What for?"

"You'll see." He motioned for her to put her hands out. She did, palms raised up. Danny cupped her hands in his, and almost instantly, Sophie felt her palms begin to cool. An orb of ice started to form between them. The girl shivered, letting out another cold breath. Her eyes stayed locked on the ice crystal.

"With an ice core, you can't bottle it up," Danny told her. "It'll only get harder to control. But if you focus on how you release the energy, you can do some pretty amazing things. Right now, I'm focusing my energy in our hands and just letting it build from there."

Sophie watched in amazement as the crystal began to change forms, becoming a tall shard of ice. The swirling energy in her hands felt strangely familiar to her, like she was apart of it, somehow. It felt exhilarating. Her thoughts turned to what else they could make out of the ice energy. Just then, the crystal reformed again, slowly morphing into that of a rose. Sophie smirked.

"Now, you're just showing off." She stole a glance at the boy, only to find him frowning. Her eyebrows knitted together. "What?"

"Promise not to freak out?" he asked.

"Really depends on what you're gonna tell me." A note of worry sounded in her voice.

"I didn't do that."

"Very funny, Danny."

To prove his point, the ghost boy took his hands away. Sophie expected the ice rose to simply disappear but it didn't. Instead, it floated gently in her hands, leaves and petals still forming. The girl's breath hitched. She couldn't be... Sophie quickly pulled her hands away, and the rose fell to the floor, shattering. Both looked at the shards of ice at their feet. Danny frowned.

"Well, that's a waste."

Sophie slowly backed away. "W-what just happened?"

"Not sure, really," Danny said, just as confused.

"Okay. I'm done. Can we go now?"

"Hold on." An idea formed in the teen's head. He created another ice crystal in his palm and held it out to Sophie. "Try mixing your energy with mine."

"Danny, I don't-"

"Just this last thing, then we can leave," Danny said, cutting her off. "Okay?"

Sophie looked at the boy, then at the ice crystal. Sighing, she brought her hands around the crystal, once again feeling that familiar cool energy. Closing her eyes, Sophie tried to reach into her own power. Her body began to feel colder, the sensation spreading out from her chest. She focused the energy into her hands. Danny watched as the ice crystal he'd made became larger in scale. It still held the shape he'd chosen for it, however he could feel Sophie's power bouncing off his own before mixing together within it. It wasn't like anything he'd ever experienced before. The ghost boy studied her face. Just what was this girl?

"Okay, that's good," he said. Sophie pulled her hands away, again, and the crystal fell into his hand. It was roughly the size of a soccer ball and heavy enough that he had to use both hands to support it, even with his strength. Sophie blinked at it.

"That... Did I..."

"I think we both did," Danny said. He set the crystal on the floor.

"H-how?"

"Wish I could tell you. But we can figure it out tomorrow. We're kinda out of time for today, anyways."

Sophie nodded, relieved to be done for the day. She just wanted to curl up in a blanket for the rest of the night. Danny held out his hand and for once, she took it without hesitating. The two took to the air, phasing out of the building.

* * *

**Thought? Questions? Mutinies? Tired of me, yet? Either way, I'll see you all next week. See ya soon!**


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